What Can I Take Off Your Plate?: A Structural-and Sustainable-Approach to Countering Teacher Burnout - Softcover

Jill Handley (author) & Lara Donnelly (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1416633006 ISBN 13: 9781416633006

Publisher: ASCD, 2024

Synopsis

Teacher burnout demands systemic solutions, not "self-care." Learn what leaders can do to actively reduce frustration and provide real, sustaining support for all staff.

With teachers across the board assuming additional responsibilities, stress and job dissatisfaction are more prevalent than ever. Widespread staff shortages, which further increase workloads, and budget directives that require everyone to do more with less continue to demotivate and erode morale. It's no wonder so many teachers choose to leave the profession―or that many who remain feel overworked and unappreciated.

The proper response from principals and other school leaders is not to encourage so-called self-care but rather to take a systemic approach that focuses on the factors they can control: time, effort, and resources. To increase teacher retention and alleviate the compounded effects of teacher burnout, leaders need to ask less of their staff and offer them more.

In What Can I Take Off Your Plate?, veteran educators Jill Handley and Lara Donnelly detail both the immediate steps you can take to triage your staff's emotional exhaustion and the big-picture structural changes you can make to reduce frustration, increase motivation, and support the whole teacher. You'll learn useful ways to

* Reduce initiative fatigue.
* Give the gift of time.
* Support from within the classroom.
* Foster and support a healthy work-life balance.
* Demonstrate appreciation.
* Infuse fun in the workplace.

This book is for school leaders who are ready to treat burnout like the complicated challenge it is―and meet it with both focused action and the lasting, sustainable solutions it demands.

About this title

About the Author

Jill Handley, EdD, is the assistant superintendent of multilingual learners in Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky). Prior to this role, she was the award-winning principal of Kenwood Elementary. During her 16-year tenure as principal, she led her school to be recognized for several achievements, including National School of Character, National Distinguished ESEA School, and the first Family Friendly Certified school in the state of Kentucky. Handley is a highly sought after speaker and presenter and inspires educators from around the world through her highly engaging workshop sessions. In addition to leading her own school, she mentors new and aspiring principals, has authored and been featured in a variety of publications, and is the host of Be The Leader You Deserve podcast.

Lara Donnelly, EdD, is a veteran teacher and school counselor in Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky). She is an education consultant, speaker, and author supporting schools and administrators with burnout, family engagement, and multilingual learners with trauma and mental health concerns. Donnelly has been featured in podcasts, news articles, and televised interviews for her expertise in supporting mental health. In addition, she has presented at numerous national conferences, including ASCD, ESEA, and the Whole School REACH conference. Donnelly resides in Louisville, Kentucky, and can often be found fueling her passion for life by spending time with her daughter, MK, and her dog, Bo, and by cycling on the best trails in the state.

Edition details

• Publisher: ASCD
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1416633006
• ISBN 13: 9781416633006
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 277